If you’re as Harry Potter-obsessed as I am, I know exactly what you’ll be doing this weekend: gearing up for
the release of part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in theaters Nov. 19.

Lucky for you, GL is here to make the party planning a
cinch. All you’ll have to do is brush up on your Potter trivia and pull out
your stack of books and DVDs.

Invite the merry marauders. Get an antique, old-world feel with parchment paper. Draw a Marauder’s
Map lightly in colored pencil. Over top, glue construction paper cut-outs of a
wand shooting colorful sparks. In thick Sharpie—think metallics—write out
the deets. Above it all, scrawl “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

Set the scene. Give
your home a makeover, Harry Potter-style. Each room should have a theme. The kitchen
or dining room could become the Great Hall with candles and pumpkins. Your
living room? Toss the pillows onto the floor and pull in beanbag chairs if
you’ve got ‘em and call it Trelawney’s tower divination room. Fall asleep in Hogwarts
house-style dorm rooms with bed-sheet canopies and house colors as decoration.

Get sorted. Pull out
the witch’s hat you used for Halloween and sort your friends as they come
through the door. To see which house you belong in, take our Sorting
Hat quiz.
Keep the hat’s song in mind and have badges ready!

You might belong
in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors
apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs
are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.

(from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

Serve up Harry’s favorite food. When your tummy starts to rumble, dig in to the hearty
food that graced Hogwart’s long tables. Roast beef or chicken with potatoes is
a comfort food favorite. If you’re looking to go British, try bangers and mash
(sausages, mashed potatoes and gravy), fish and chips (fried fish and steak-cut
French fries) or shepherd’s pie (a casserole with lamb—or beef, in the U.S.
version—and veggies, topped with mashed potatoes).

For dessert, indulge your
sweet tooth with a spread fit for a witch. Hot cocoa with chocolate-covered
English tea biscuits (find them in the international food section of your local
grocery store) are the perfect late night treat.

Put on a show. If
you and your buds are super fans of the Harry Potter series, you know the books and
movies by heart, right? Try giving ‘em a dose of reality by acting out your
fave scenes. Vote on the best character impersonators and give the winner a
prize…perhaps a wand?

Test your knowledge.
Have a Harry Potter-themed quiz bowl. Go around in a circle and ask the most
difficult book- or movie-based questions you can think of. The first to answer
correctly gets a point. Tally ‘em up at the end of the game and surrender the Sorting Hat
to the winner.

Movie marathon. When
you’re ready to snuggle up in your sleeping bags, pop in the first film and
watch Daniel, Rupert and Emma from the beginning. You’ll love seeing the trio
grow up on screen, just as their characters do.